A Facebook group unearthed 11 silver coins dating back to King Robert II during a charity dig on the Black Isle in Scotland.
The group, Highland Metal Detectorists, uses Facebook. About fifty of them attended the charity dig. These digs usually raise funds for good causes, and this time, they helped a children’s cancer charity.
One member found a real treasure: a hoard of eleven silver coins. They think the coins date back to King Robert II, the first Stewart king of Scotland. His reign lasted from 1371 to 1390.
Terry Kay co-administers the Facebook group. He said the hoard topped off a great day. They had already found hammered coins and a brooch earlier, and then Ian Deveney found the coin hoard. He reported the find to Treasure Trove in Edinburgh.
Ian initially thought the coins were King David’s. Closer inspection suggested Robert II instead. Each coin is a groat, which was worth 4d each when made – a significant amount back then.
The discovery happened late in the day. Ian had just won a metal detector in a raffle and had only found some copper coins before. He thought his luck had peaked at that point.
Then, his detector gave him a good signal. He dug and found a groat from Robert II. He was very excited by the beautiful coin, taking photos and marking the spot.
As daylight was fading, he moved forward and found more coins. It became a frenzy, with some friends helping him recover them. The final count was eleven coins, some broken. This was the group’s first hoard find.
While it wasn’t Ian’s first hoard, he had previously found a smaller one with two Robert II coins and one David II coin. Treasure Trove will assess the find location to uncover further archaeological information.
The charity dig initially raised £700. Ian then donated the money from selling his new metal detector, adding £300 to the total. In the end, they raised a grand total of £1060.
Kay stated that the dig had forty to fifty attendees from all over the Highlands. New detectorists were present, and experienced members were on hand to help them out.
Kay created the Facebook group in 2014. It has grown considerably since then, now boasting over two thousand members. The group promotes the metal detecting hobby and connects enthusiasts across Scotland. It also connects detectorists from abroad, with members hailing from America all the way to Australia.